XXX-REPORT OF OPERATIONS AT THE TROUT-BREEDING 

 STATION OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION ON THE 

 M'CLOUD RIVER, CALIFORNIA, DURING THE YEAR 188-.^.. 



By Livingston' Stone. 



"When my last report closed, December 31, 1881, everything was 

 going on well at the trout ponds. There had been no recurrence of 

 the extreme high water of last year, and, though it had been unusually 

 cold, it had not been very rainy; and no trouble had been caused, as in 

 the previous winter, by the heavy rains washing down mud into the 

 creek from above. 



The trout were already showing signs of iireparing to cast their spawn 

 when the year opened, and on the 5th of January the first eggs were 

 taken, to the number of about 50,000. The taking of eggs continued 

 till the 5th of May, when the last lot was placed in the hatching troughs. 

 Some spawning fish were left in the ponds, but for some reason were very 

 slow in getting ripe, and some of them did not deposit their eggs till 

 August. The winter was very cold, and the temperature of the water in 

 which the eggs were hatclied became so low that they were twelve days 

 longer in showing the eye-spots than they were last year. Still water, 

 in hollow places in the rocks, froze to the thickness of eight inches, " 

 indicating a degree of cold unprecedented on the McCloud River since 

 white men first visited it. 



As has been noticed heretofore, the smaller females, presumably the 

 youngest fish, spawned first, the larger and older ones all coming on 

 later. Also, as in previous years, the spawning females that were 

 bright and plump and in best condition gave the smallest eggs, other 

 things being equal, while the thin and lean-looking gave the largest; 

 the general rule prevailing, however, throughout, that the larger the fish, 

 the greater the size of the eggs. 



The eggs varied in size and complexion this season as much as ever, 



some of them being almost if not fully as large as the smaller salmon 



€ggs, while others were not much if any larger than those of the eastern 



brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis'. The color of the eggs varied, too, as 



usual, ranging from the almost blood-red of the salmon eggs to a light 



straw color. No peculiarity about the looks of the ripe female trout 



could be observed that was constant, except the shape of the abdomen 



distended by its burden of full-grown eggs. Some of the ripe fish were 



black and dirty looking, others were bright and fresh looking ; some 

 851 



